WEST aSia
WHEN
The festivals run in winter from December
to April. In January, a large camel wrestling
festival takes place in in Selçuk near
Ephesus, which is one of Turkey’s famous
archaeological attractions. The Selçuk event
is on the second or third weekend of January
WHERE
Camel wrestling is popular in Aydin Province,
and can also be seen in İzmir, Manisa, Muğla
and Denizli in the Aegean region, Balıkesir
and Çanakkale in the Marmara region and
Burdur, and İsparta and Antalya in the
Mediterranean region
HOW
Fly from Istanbul to Izmir. From there,
Selçuk is 40 minutes away by train. Check out
http://www.selcukephesus.com/what-to-do/camel-
wrestling
DOS AND DON’TS- Do wear closed-toe shoes. Lots of post-
match hungry camels – enough said - Don’t make the OK sign (by putting the
thumb and forefinger together to form
“O”) as this is considered very rude in
Turkish culture
EXPERIENCE
CAMEL WRESTLING
FESTIVALSIn the western part of Turkey in the
winter, a series of camel wrestling
(yes – as in the creatures with
two humps!) matches are held,
culminating in a series of major
festivals, drawing in crowds of locals
and foreigners. Unique to the Aegean
region, the wrestling camels are
elaborately dressed in bells and frills.
The camel’s name is embroidered on
a cloth called a peş, which is hung
behind the havut (saddle). Below
the camel’s name is the inscription
Maşallah (“May God protect him”).
Camels are charged with wrestling
their opponent with the aim of making
him retreat, fall, or scream. There are
different wrestling categories, but
each match is limited to 10 minutes
to protect the camels from injury in
what is a pretty fierce fight. Camel
wrestling does abide by certain rules,
but these vary from district to district.
Only male camels can compete.
The wrestling males are called
tülü camels, and they are bred and
groomed specifically for the purpose
of a wrestling career. The winning
camel earns his owner a cash prize
and great honour. The matches
are voiced over by an energetic
commentator called a cazgır.
Camel wrestling goes back
hundreds of years in the Middle East;
in the Aegean region, the festivals
have been run for over 200 years.
Camel wrestling – along with the
equally bizarre oil wrestling, a
national sport in Turkey – is a long-FESTIVAL MUST-SEE:
CAMEL WRESTLING FESTIVALS
Turkey
IMAGE © SHUTTERSTOCKUnique to the Aegean
region, the wrestling
camels are elaborately
dressed in bells and frillsstanding sporting tradition in Turkish
culture, derived from the nomadic
Turkmen culture of Anatolia, where
camel caravans were the preferred
mode of transport until the arrival of
the railway in the 19th century. Camel
wrestling matches became a form
of entertainment for the travelling
merchants in the rural bazaars.
If the camel wrestling matches are
not your cup of tea, there are plenty
other activities surrounding the festival
to keep you entertained: Stalls are set
up in the festival grounds selling a
range of local food and souvenirs, and
there are various local dance and folk
music performances.TURKEY
Aydin
Province104